Return to the Nightmare
by AliseAndrews
Summary: With Walter's life in the balance, Cabe Gallo returns to his worst nightmare.


Disclaimer: This is an original story based on the characters of Scorpion. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: My first venture into the Scorpion world. Based on the last episode "Cliffhanger" and some of the pictures for the next episode. Cabe's thoughts as he comes to Walter's aid. Hope you enjoy!

When he saw the call from Toby, Cabe felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe the superhero shrink had been able to get through to Walter and maybe, just maybe Toby was calling him to tell him there was a chance at forgiveness. The last 24 hours had nearly broken his heart and he hoped he would be able to cover his emotions as he picked up the phone…not like anyone could ever really hide emotions from Toby anyway…

The next fifteen minutes passed in a blur. He couldn't get close enough in the car, there were so many rescue vehicles and so he ran and as each step reverberated on the pavement he tried to subdue the panic, swallow the fear because Walter needed him. But as he got closer, and saw the red lights and saw the worry on everyone's face he was right back where he was those awful nights so long ago. He was right back watching Amanda's breathing and reading fairy stories at 3:00 in the morning about knights and princes who vanquished forces of evil and protected their loved ones. "Just like you Daddy," she would say, and his heart would splinter. He would smile and then kiss her fevered forehead but then when she would finally drift off to sleep, he would sadly whisper. "No, not like me baby," He had not been able to protect her from her fate.

"Not again" he whispered as he neared the edge of the cliff. "Dear God, don't make me go through this again."

"Walter!" he shouted down to the car. "Son, I'm here! I'm here Walter!"

"What's the plan?" he realized he was still shouting as each of the geniuses were working furiously in their sphere trying to cover their own panic. No one answered him as Happy and Sylvester's hands worked almost faster than he could see. Toby was on his cellphone talking to Walter and keeping him calm. Paige was standing frozen over the cliff in horror. He stepped closer to her carefully and gently took her shoulders.

"You're standing too close to the edge honey," he whispered. "Step back a bit." She obeyed but was shaking uncontrollably and instinctively he gathered her in his arms.

"It's my fault" she whispered. "I destroyed him…I…I…broke his heart." He cupped his hand on the back of her head. "He's going to be okay." His own voice became heavy as she clung to him harder. "He's going to be okay" he repeated.

"Cabe…" she whispered. "Sylvester, Happy…Toby…they say, they say that there is a 95% chance that he's going to fa…"

He stopped her, partly because he wanted her to have hope, partly because his own heart stopped at her words and he could not, he would not, accept that. He brought her to face him and placed a hand under her chin. "You listen to me honey, I am not going to let that happen." She nodded as fresh tears started to fall.

Cabe turned to his team. "Someone talk to me right now! What is going on?! What's the plan?!"

Happy came to him, showing him schematics and talking about trajectory and statistics. He heard very little of it. All he heard was the part about someone needing to go down the cliff. All he saw was the machine with the harness.

"I'm going down there!" he declared, cutting Happy off and removing his jacket. He strode towards the harness but a handful rescue workers tried to stop him. "Sir, that's our job." "Mr. Gallo we can't let you do that." "Please sir, we're trained professionals, let us do our job." The words swirled around him. But all he could see was that little boy, the little boy with big eyes that were starving for knowledge and acceptance. He saw the smiles that were so very hard to coax out. He saw the look of complete trust and he saw the look of broken-hearted betrayal.

One of the workers placed their hand on his shoulder and attempted to turn him back. It unleashed the dam. "Hey!" he yelled ferociously. "That's my kid down there!" For a single moment, everything was silent. Cabe felt his rage calming and he brought out his badge and flashed it. "I'm going down." Suddenly Toby broke the silence. "Cabe," he said walking up to him and handing him the phone, his own voice betraying his emotions. "He wants to talk to you."

Cabe swallowed hard and put the phone to his ear. "I'm here son. I'm coming for you. You just hang on okay?"

The voice was small, small like it had been when he was a little boy. "Cabe…I want you to go."

All the breath left Cabe, "Walter…this isn't the time…look, I'm sorry but I can't just leave."

"Cabe, please go."

"Son…I'm sorry that I lied. I'm sorry that…"

"No Cabe," the voice was more forceful and it scared Cabe that Walter was making more movement than necessary. "Cabe…you don't understand. I don't want you here. I don't want you to see me fall. I…I don't want you to go through this again."

Cabe's eyes burned and he swallowed hard. He had always known that behind that no-emotion exterior that Walter had known exactly how Cabe felt about him. "Now you listen to me son," he said as he got strapped into the harness. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm coming down for you and I'm going to get you. And then we're going to talk and we're going to work this out. I was wrong to walk away. I was wrong to give up on Scorpion. I was wrong to give up on you and me," again he swallowed hard and hoped the young man heard him…really heard him. "You're the only family I have left Walter. And I am not going to give up on you." There was a long pause and the voice came again…still small, still reminiscent of that little boy.

"Ok" was all Walter said and Cabe smiled for the first time in what felt like days. "That's my boy."

He was lowered down slowly, Happy and Sylvester yelling down instructions to him. He kept his eyes on the car and though he couldn't see through the windows, he hoped Walter was keeping his eyes on him. Yes, he was back again, back again to that horrible awful nightmare he had lived through once. But for Walter O'Brien he would go there again. The car may drop at any moment and if it did it would destroy him for the second time. But he could not turn away. He would go to that place in his heart he thought he could never return to again. He slowly reached the car and he let out a sigh of relief as he saw Walter. Maybe it was Walter's injuries and he was delusional and maybe it wasn't, but he turned ever so slightly to look at him and breathed one word that made Cabe Gallo feel he had the strength of 10 men. "Dad…"


End file.
